This invention involves apparatus for supporting a patient on a table during medical procedures under X-ray observation such as surgery, catheterization and dye angiography, or treatment of a patient in trauma. These procedures usually involve an anesthesiologist and a team of physicians and nurses around a table supporting the patient, and require space for an X-ray tube and receptor to be moved into and out of unlimited positions around the patient, while allowing the medical team free access to at least one side of the table, and allowing the anesthesiologist ready access to the head of the patient. The support apparatus should further be capable of tilting the patient around a transverse axis to raise or lower his head, and canting the patient by rotation generally around his longitudinal axis. However such movements may risk collision of the underside of the patient table with the floor, or equipment on the floor under the table. Collision sensing switches under the table have proven unsatisfactory because they may be inadvertently disabled by straps used to secure the patient to the table.
It has been proposed to support a patient table by a connection offset from the longitudinal axis of the table, but this proposal, although generally satisfactory, causes movement of the patient's head relative to the anesthesiologist during tilting and canting, and increases the possibility of collision below the table.
Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide patient support apparatus which allows both tilting and canting of the patient by a simplified and more economical and efficient mechanism, and with decreased risk of collision below the patient table.
A further object is to provide patient support apparatus which, without alteration of its components, can be adapted to extend either to the right or left side of its base and standard.